A pact between India and Bangladesh to streamline and bolster coastal shipping operations between the two countries is beginning to bear fruit with the first departure of a container ship under those guidelines from Krishnapatnam, India, on Monday.

Shippers in Bangladesh are finding new ways of getting their air cargo to Australia after the government Down Under slapped a ban on shipments heavier than 500 grams being carried on freighters and passenger planes from several countries, with the South Asia garment-producing giant among them.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and World Customs Organization gave a boost to Bangladesh’s efforts to reduce illegal shipping activities with the implementation of a container screening program’ at Chittagong Port, the country’s largest.

Container shipping lines are enjoying strong westbound traffic growth to South Asia and the Middle East, giving carriers a ray of hope at a time when the shared trunk services from Asia to Europe are struggling, Drewry reported.

India and Bangladesh agreed to extend an earlier protocol dealing with “inland water transit and trade” cooperation between the two countries, with provision for automatic renewal in line with a proposed amendment to the Bangladesh-India trade agreement, the Indian Ministry of Shipping said in a written statement.